Short summary : Pushed by numerous humanitarian crisis in Africa, Middle East and Asia, and a worsening situation of widespread violence in lawless Libya, the desperate exodus towards Europe through the Mediterranean continues. From January 2016 to March 2017, over 5,000 people lost their lives at sea in the attempt to reach southern Italy from Libya by boat. The migrants’ ordeal in Libya and during the previous journey from their country of origin is horrifying: abductions, extortions, torture, forced labour and rape are common reports among the testimonies of the survivors.The only way forward is the one offered by the smugglers: precarious, overloaded dinghies that not even under the most favourable weather conditions would make it to Italy. Being spotted at open sea is their only chance of survival. Run by the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médicins Sans Frontières, the rescue vessel Aquarius has saved more than 9,000 people during 70 rescue operations carried out from February 2016 to March 2017.

ON BOARD A MIGRANTS RESCUE VESSEL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Pushed by numerous humanitarian crisis in Africa, Middle East and Asia, and a worsening situation of widespread violence in lawless Libya, the desperate exodus towards Europe through the Mediterranean continues. In 2016 alone, over 5,000 people lost their lives at sea in the attempt to reach southern Italy from Libya by boat.